


A Simple Act

by onesquishedcat



Category: B.A.P
Genre: M/M, Suicidal Thoughts, implied depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-15
Updated: 2014-08-15
Packaged: 2018-03-29 19:17:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3907564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onesquishedcat/pseuds/onesquishedcat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, kindness can change a life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Simple Act

Rain lashes against the cafe window, angry and constant. It's a slow Thursday night, which means there isn't much for Youngjae to do. The young brunette wipes down the counter for the thousandth time, and prays to the clock to go faster.

There's still a half hour till closing time.

With a sigh, Youngjae gets up to maybe go reorganize the coffee racks by country of origin this time when the bell above the door tinkles, signalling a customer.

"Hello! Welcome to-"

His voice abruptly cuts short. The man in the doorway pauses.

"I'm sorry. Are you closing?"

Youngjae shakes his head, unable to take his eyes from the man as he shuffles a bit in the doorway. His voice is deeper than Youngjae expects - His face is pretty but in a sad kind of way. Then again, he's soaked head to foot, and he almost looks gaunt, as if something heavy is weighing down on his shoulders and pushing him down.

He looks lost.

Something about the man compells Youngjae. "Come. Come inside." He gently pats the counter in front of him, and waits as the man makes his way to the sit up counter and takes a seat. He looks even less together under the soft lighting, almost too pale beneath the thick black coat he's wearing.

"Can I get you something?"

Youngjae murmurs quietly, something about the atmosphere mellowing out his usual cheery personality. The man's gaze moves to the floor, and then back the way he came.

"I'm sorry."

Youngjae tilts his head, something in his chest clenching at how hurt the words sound. "Sorry? For what?"

The man finally turns his gaze to Youngjae, and then lets it fall to his curled hands on the counter. Just as pale as his face, Youngjae imagines they must be ice cold from the horrible weather they're having.

"Your floor."

Youngjae leans over the counter to look - there's a small trail of water, which is slowly increasing as the man's coat and pants drip on the floor. Youngjae shakes his head, a small smile beginning to pull at his lips. "It's okay, honest. Can I get you something though? You must be cold. This rain is really terrible, isn't it?"

The man nods, and Youngjae feels a small swell of pride at the way his lips turn up just a bit.

“Can I..have a cappuccino?”

They don't usually serve anything other than plain coffee in the last hour of the shift, but Youngjae decides to make an exception this once, flicking on the machine. "Sure thing. Would you like cinnamon or cocoa on that?"

"Cinnamon, please."

Youngjae nods and pulls out the milk to pour in the canister, and then whips it up with steam. "It's an awful night to be out without an umbrella. Did you just get off work?"

He speaks a bit louder to be heard, turning around to look at the other man once he's done and tapping the canister on the counter to pop the bubbles. The man only stares back at him, and Youngjae scrunches his face in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's not my business."

Setting the canister aside, Youngjae pulls out the lever and cleans it, then scoops out the decaf powder from the nearby drawer set. Once he secures it back in place, he sets a paper cup beneath it to catch the dribbling espresso.

"Yes."

Youngjae turns in surprise to look at the man as he circles the pitcher of steamed milk. With a soft smile, Youngjae pours the steamed milk into the cup, taking extra special care as it nears the top.

He finds a lid and snaps it on, and then turns to the man with a knowing smile. “Its not my best work, but I tried.”

When the man makes a move to take out his wallet, Youngjae shakes his head, holding up a hand. “No, don’t worry about it. It’s on me. And here-“ He disappears for a moment when he bends down behind the counter, and pulls out an umbrella. “Take this.”

The man can only stare at him, his lips parting as he hesitantly accepts the umbrella. “But..You don’t even know me,” He murmurs, his deep voice somewhere between awed and confused.

Youngjae shrugs, a light flush blooming in his cheeks as he smiles sheepishly. “Well, I’m Youngjae-”

“Himchan.”

Youngjae blinks, and then his smile widens. “Well, Himchan-sshi! We’re having really horrible weather, and I’d hate to see you get a cold. Unfortunately I have to start cleaning up now, but maybe you can come by again tomorrow?”

Himchan nods, still not looking all there. Wrapping both of his hands around his cup, Himchan thanks Youngjae quietly and then leaves the small shop.

Outside the wind has died down a little, but the rain is still falling hard from the sky. Standing under the awning, Himchan watches Youngjae as he moves around the store, whistling. Looking down at his cup, something makes Himchan pop the lid.

A slightly lopsided, wobbly smiley face stares up at him.

Suddenly, the wetness on his face isn’t just from the rain.

***

  
When he gets home a little while later, Himchan doesn’t think about pulling the chair into the middle of his living room, or the length of rope he purchased on the way home. Instead of the mess of words he’d worked on for the past few hours, he finds a plain piece of white paper and a pen, and begins to write.

_Sometimes it’s little acts of kindness that can change a life.._

For the first time in a long time, he's looking forward to tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm aware that this is not real life, but I couldn't have him go through with it. I hope at least one person will take comfort from this, that even if it doesn't seem like it, there are definitely people who care.


End file.
